MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) - A federal lawsuit that's led by a central Minnesota beekeeper is seeking to make the Environmental Protection Agency label insecticide-coated seeds as a pesticide.

Reports say the change sought by the lawsuit would curb use of neonicotinoid pesticides that beekeepers say are inadvertently killing their colonies. Neonicotinoids are widely used on soybean and corn seeds, but the use isn't included in pesticide regulations.

Beekeeper Jeff Anderson is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit filed Wednesday. He says dust kicked up when the seeds are planted drifts onto hives and kills bees.

Anderson says state or federal regulators can't protect his bees because the EPA says the seeds coated by insecticide are exempt from pesticide labels.

An EPA spokesperson said the agency doesn't typically comment on pending litigation.

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